Spring Exhibit for Seniors opens April 19 at Marion Art Gallery in Fredonia | News, Sports, Jobs

“A Dozen Bakers” The Department of Visual Arts and New Media’s main spring exhibition opens at the Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery at the State University of New York in Fredonia on Tuesday, April 19.

On view until May 10, the exhibition includes works by 13 senior graduates: Hunter Bardin (Film & Video Arts), Mary Colligan (Graphic Design), Olivia Dursi (Graphic Design), Katy Fermin (Photography), Angeline Ginsberg ( Ceramics), Matthew Henze (Film & Video Arts), Shannon Lynch (Drawing & Painting), Sean Marchant (Graphic Design), Owen McGuire (Photography), Francesca Olivo (Ceramics), Sadie Peers (Animation & Illustration), Jessie Stahlman (Graphic Design ) and Wilson Thorpe (graphic design).

A reception is scheduled for Friday, April 22, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

The visual style of Hunter Bardin’s short film “Phantasmagoria” is similar to that of paper puppets and spooky theater where gruesome creatures were projected large behind actors on the stage. With this film, Bardin explores how anxiety can manifest in a person’s mind and how bad thoughts invade us the longer we dwell on the future.

Mary Colligan tackles the issue of wheelchair accessibility in her restaurant branding campaign Common Grounds Cafe. She writes, “There have been many times in my life where I have been pulled down stairs in my wheelchair just to enter a restaurant. Some restaurants have accessible entrances at the back, which gives me not only feeling like a second-class citizen, but it’s also difficult to navigate the crowded space to get to the front.

Olivia Dursi’s poster series tells the story of a fictional town, Pompay, NY, which fell victim to a disaster following a failed music festival, which led to their military base falling on its own, leaving no survivors. The story is inspired by his hometown of Rome, NY.

In his photographic series “Doll face,” Katy Fermin addresses negative body image which is a serious issue affecting women’s self-esteem. Barbie undergoes plastic surgery on a monthly basis in the 15 photographs.

With ceramic sculptures of interspecific animals, Angeline Ginsberg represents a mother’s instinct to care for a baby even if it is not her own. Ginsberg writes, “Baby animals lie peacefully knowing that their mother is on high alert, listening and ready to protect them at all costs. Although animals may be reared by another species, through factors such as touch and smell, baby animals, like humans, understand who their mother is and trust her to protect and nurture them.

In his interactive video installation titled “Production,” Matthew Henze empowers gallery visitors to clean up the environment. The projected video is a forest strewn with waste. As viewers begin to place more of the facility’s trash in a recycling bin, the video of garbage in the forest is gradually replaced with a clean, thriving forest.

Shannon Lynch’s Series of Paintings “Affect” includes nine diptychs on the journey of the people in his life. It focuses on their inspirations and how they have evolved and defined their lives from childhood to today.

Sean Marchant summarizes his research on Fredonia’s Department of Visual Arts and New Media in his original post TYPO Magazine. He writes, “I want people to share what they think about their experiences with VANM so we can grow as a department. I want students and faculty to feel like they’re at home and not just like a place to work. C t is one of the longest projects I have had the honor of working on, and I hope it will be more than a one-issue magazine.

Through long photographic exposures and large format prints, Owen McGuire documents natural occurrences of nighttime phenomena such as lightning, cloud cover, snow, rain, moon phases and shooting stars.

Francesca Olivo explores how humans connect to each other and nature with her handmade ceramic coffee table and tea set. She writes, “Our relationships with others are vital. We are also intrinsically connected to the earth. Flowers help us feel connected to our world. We cut them from the ground and bring them indoors to temporarily bask in their beauty.

“Walter and Willow”, a children’s book written and illustrated by Sadie Peers, features a story about the bond between a grandfather and his granddaughter. The story discusses the importance of family, community and children “Golden” moments.

By using the “Princess of Pentacles” and “Queen of Swords” cards, Jessie Stahlman studies the visual language of tarot cards as well as their identity and iconography as a deck. Posters and paper headpieces depict the two characters.

Wilson Thorpe facility “TO EXCHANGE” is a store to fight against textile waste. Posters advertise the store and brochures describe this critical problem. A rack of repaired (recycled) clothes demonstrates the solution. The average American throws away about 82 pounds of clothing each year, and globally more than 100 million tons of textile waste is created each year.

“A Dozen Bakers” is supported by the Department of Visual Arts and New Media, the Cathy and Jesse Marion Endowment Fund of the Fredonia College Foundation, and the Friends of Rockefeller Arts Center.

Gallery hours are: Tuesday-Thursday 12-4 p.m., Friday-Saturday 12-6 p.m., Sunday 12-4 p.m., and by appointment. The gallery is located on the main level of the Rockefeller Arts Center.

For more information or a group tour of the exhibition, contact gallery director Barbara Racker at 716-673-4897 or barbara.racker@fredonia.edu.